First Lutheran Church
August 1, 2021
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-152The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.”
9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’ ” 10And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
13In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”
John 6:3535Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Sermon “What is it?”
Pastor Greg Ronning
I love road trips, I like to get in the car and drive, - even drive for days. I will always choose driving over flying, as long as I have the time to make the trip. So it is, my wife Melissia and I, have driven all over the country. And most of the time we do pretty well on these trips, we get along as we move along the highways and the byways. However, we are not entirely free from conflict on these long trips, there’s one thing that always seems to interrupt a good drive, a state of being that can quickly rise up in either one of us, a carnal reaction that leads to a Jekyll and Hyde transformation. Inevitably, at some point during a long day on the road,- one of us will suddenly become “hangry.” “Hangry,” an adjective, a clever combination of hungry and angry, the slang word for “feeling irritable or irrationally angry as a result of being hungry.” And as we all know, being with someone who is “hangry” is not a pleasant experience!
I imagine we’ve all been there, we’ve all experienced being “hangry” or being with someone who’s “hangry.” It’s even become a condition identified and described by doctors, “When you haven’t eaten for a while, the level of sugar in your blood decreases. When your blood sugar gets too low, it triggers a cascade of hormones, and adrenaline to raise and rebalance your blood sugar. And one of these hormones, cortisol, can cause aggression. At the same time low blood sugar may interfere with higher brain functions, such as those that help us control impulses and regulate our primitive drives and behavior.” And all of the sudden, you’re “hangry.” Desperately in need of an exit with a fast-food restaurant!
In today’s Old Testament reading, the Israelites(who have just recently been set free from their slavery in Egypt,) have been traveling, wandering through the wilderness for some forty odd days, - and they have suddenly become “hangry.” Blood Sugar levels have become low, adrenaline and hormones have been released, they can no longer hold back their frustration, and they become agitated. They complain and whine to Moses and Aaron, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Despite all their melodrama, “We were better off as slaves,” “If only we had died, ”God mercifully hears their cries and responds, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you.” And sure enough, it happens. (Throw wafers up in the air) The next morning the Israelites wake up to discover something strange covering the ground. They are confused, they bend over and pick it up, look it over, smell it, and they say to one another, “Manna?” which in Hebrew means, “What is it?” To which Moses eventually replies, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”
I can’t help but wonder if the Israelites were a bit disappointed, I can only imagine what my beloved wife would say if in a moment of being “hangry” I offered her up “one of these things.”(a communion wafer)So perhaps they were disappointed, but after some time, I’m sure they began to realize that this strange and unexpected Manna was keeping them nourished and sustaining them as they continued to journey for 40 more years, traveling to their destiny in the Promised Land!
This great story from Exodus, the story of Manna from heaven, reminds us once again that God is present, and that God provides for us, more often than not in ways that we don’t always immediately recognize. The story invites us to pause and to reflect. How many times have we passed by “Manna” because we simply were not aware what it was? What is God doing all around us to help provide for us as we seek to live out our faith? Where is God raining “bread from heaven” in our life, in our life together, in our community in order to lead us to freedom? The first lesson to be learned, in today’s first lesson from Exodus; God knows what we want, but more importantly God knows what we need. “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.” God will provide Manna! May our hearts be humbled and may our eyes be opened to its presence!
In today’s appointed Gospel Jesus connects himself to this ancient story by proclaiming “I am the Bread of Life.” Jesus reminds us that he himself, the bread that falls from heaven, will sustain us on our journey to our promised land, the adventure that is set before us, the journey that is our life well lived with meaning and purpose.
In a just a few minutes, we will celebrate and partake in a special meal, Holy Communion; we will gather to feast on that very Bread of Life. Each of you will make your way up to the altar, you will hold out your hand, and I will say, “The Body of Christ given for you.” And as you look down at the less than inspiring wheat wafer you might be tempted to say, maybe with a slight melodramatic hint of complaint, “Manna, what is it?” How is this enough, how will this get me to the land of promise, how will this sustain me in my journey, how will this make a difference? “Manna, what is it?”
Well perhaps the answer to that question is found in the wafer itself! In its simplicity we are reminded what life is truly all about. It’s not all about attending great feasts, it’s not all about steak and a fine wine, it’s not all about champagne and caviar; No, it’s all about something more basic, more down to earth, more human, more universal.
Jesus calls himself the bread of life, and in doing so identifies himself with one of the core needs of every human being in his day, “bread.” In the time of Jesus bread was the essential staple food. It was so basic that in the Hebrew language “to eat bread” and “to have a meal” was the same word. Bread is the food that everyone needs and deserves, bread is the meal served at the table where there is a seat for all, bread is life, bread is grace and mercy, and ultimately the sharing of such bread is the sharing of love. These are the things that make for life, these are the things that we all need, these are the things for which we all truly hunger, these are the things that truly sustain each of us, these are the things that shape a life of meaning and purpose, these are the things of the kingdom, this is the bread that is Christ.
So, is anyone feeling “hangry” today? Did you skip breakfast and now your body and your mind are slowly becoming a bit irritable and agitated? “How much longer will this sermon go on, I’m dying of hunger! ”Or perhaps, more significantly, is anyone experiencing a “spiritual hangry?” Hungering for something that will truly fill you up. Do the mechanisms of this world, the things that move us around, and tell us where to go, increasingly no longer feel right to you, no longer fulfill your expectations? Have you consumed all the things that world has offered you but still feel empty? Have you conformed to the way things are, fought your way to the grand banquet table, but now realize you don’t belong? Have you lost interest in pursuing the things of this world, things that no longer satisfy or sustain? Are you longing for something different, something that makes a difference, something that will fill you with meaning and purpose? Are you“ spiritually hangry?”
Jesus taught us to pray, in the midst of these troubling queries, as we encounter the great existential questions of life, as we wrestle with our physical and spiritual hunger, “Our Father who art in heaven …. thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” And to this end, “Give us this day our daily bread.” May our eyes be opened to see - in Manna, in daily bread, in Jesus the “Bread of Life,” in the simplicity of bread broken and shared; - the very task and presence of the Kingdom of God. And in the gathering up and sharing of daily bread, may we become that which we receive, the body of Christ given for the whole world.
As we engage the hard questions of faith, as we honestly seek out the Kingdom of God, as we respond to the calling of the Spirit in our life; let us be assured that God is not leading us out into a place where we will not be provided for. Let us remember what God promised to Moses and the Israelites, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day.” God will provide each of us just what we need to make the journey before us, to live faithfully, and to survive even though we may wander in wilderness places. God is with us every day, sustaining us physically and spiritually providing “bread from heaven.” Bread for us to eat, and bread for us to share in love and service to others. The bread that satisfies the heart, the soul, the body, and the mind. Today Jesus reminds us, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” May it be so, Amen.
